A 20-year-old young man from Brussels died after drowning in the sea near Ostend on the Belgian coast on Saturday evening.
The young man was swimming in the water at around 19:30 on Saturday evening near the Western Breakwater in the city of Ostend.
Suddenly he got into trouble, after which his friends called for the fire brigade and police, who immediately rushed out en masse. The man was pulled out of the water by the emergency services, after which he was administered first aid on the spot.
He was later taken to hospital, and the spokesperson for the Federal Police confirmed he was in a life-threatening condition. "Some friends tried to save the young man themselves and were slightly injured in the process."
Sunday morning, it was confirmed that the young man had died during the night. The police confirmed that the circumstances of his death, and what caused him to get into trouble in the water, are being further investigated, De Standaard reported.
Dangers of the sea
In July and August, lifeguard stations are open all along the coast, but only between 10:30 and 18:30, after which swimming in the open water is not permitted.
Due to the strong winds at the coast, the sea was rough and dangerous throughout the day, as the currents were flowing in the direction of the breakwater, which often causes swimmers to get into trouble. "The area around the breakwater was therefore a red zone all day. Swimmers were not allowed to enter the water there," the area's chief lifeguard said.
Before the start of the summer, the Intercommunal Coastal Rescue Service of West Flanders (IKWV) already issued a warning to make swimmers aware of the dangers of swimming in the North Sea and to look out for strong currents.
"The sea is not a swimming pool" said IKWV's General Director An Beun. "We have to repeat it ad nauseam, but it’s the truth. A lot of people wrongly assume that swimming in the North Sea is without dangers."
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Some two weeks ago, emergency services rescued two 16-year-olds from the sea in Ostend, also near the Western Breakwater, as they found themselves in danger due to strong currents, however, they survived.
